Soldiers of the Zodiac
by Mokuseino Tenka
Summary: Currently on hiatus. This is an AU fanfiction. A child literally falls from the sky and into the lives of Makoto and Nephryte. The child is being hunted by the prince of Sagittarius, Donwor.
1. Default Chapter

Chapter one  
  
A Heavenly Angel is Brought Upon Us  
  
Makoto's POV   
  
What a boring morning this was. Nephryte was at work, while I had two hours to go  
  
before I was to go in. Of all the senshi, I was the only one to have my dream job, a chef and a  
  
florist, yet I wasn't as busy as everyone else. My career was slow, so I spent most of my time  
  
watching over my pregnant friends, Ami, Rei, Minako, and Haruka. All four were pregnant,  
  
though they weren't at the same points in their pregnancies. Rei was about due, Minako was  
  
midway through, Haruka was about 1/4 way through, and Ami was only a few weeks through.  
  
My other friends had already had kids. Usagi was the most recent, giving birth to Chibi-Usa on  
  
her birthday, then giving birth to a son on Mamoru's birthday, who was named Chibi-Mamo.  
  
Michiru gave birth to a daughter named Ike, Hotaru gave birth to twins, a boy named  
  
Prometheus and a girl named Pandora, which is amazing considering she is the youngest senshi,  
  
the smallest, and was only 18 when she went into labor! Of all the senshi, Setsuna and I were the  
  
only ones who weren't moms.   
  
Well, enough blabber about that. Today was uneventful. I didn't have anyone to what or  
  
help today. I wouldn't be babysitting any of the senshi's kids until that evening with Nephryte. I  
  
was bored, bored, bored . . . Suddenly . . . CRASH! Right on my head landed something. I  
  
toppled over into the herb garden, narrowly missing a stepping stone.   
  
When I gathered my senses, I searched for what had hit me on the head. Finally, I spotted  
  
a mess of black, purple, and light brown in a bush at the end of the steps. I noticed a river of red  
  
flowing from the light brown area and recognized that this thing was a child. I tried to stand up,  
  
but my legs were really unstable. I finally managed to crawl over to this kid. When I reached it, I  
  
gently turned it over. There, in my arms, was a slightly battered little girl. She appeared to be  
  
breathing well; I could feel a steady pulse; she seemed to be simply unconscious. I gently  
  
cradled her in my arms. Strangely enough, my head stopped hurting. My legs felt strong again. I  
  
could feel a strange energy pulse rising from this child. I didn't stop to think of it any further.   
  
I quickly arose from the herb garden and ran into the house. I laid the child down in the  
  
bath tub, retrieved a cool washcloth from the sink, and immediately began to clean the bloody  
  
wound. When it finally stopped bleeding, I took a large bandage and covered the large cut. Her  
  
black and purple clothes didn't appear to have any blood on them, so I took her from the tub and  
  
laid her on the sofa in the living room. I reached for my communicator, but all the links were  
  
blocked. Everyone had mentioned having some sort of meetings and lectures, so there was really  
  
no way to reach them. I turned back around and gazed at the child resting on the sofa. She  
  
looked a lot like I had when I was little, and looked like Nephryte as he was now. Is this child  
  
from heaven? Was she brought here as a child for Nephryte and me? Have our prayers been  
  
answered? So many questions raced through my head that it began to hurt.   
  
I started to get up to get a glass of water when I heard a sound. I looked toward the sofa  
  
to see the child waking up. My heart raced as the child tried to sit up. I quickly got over to the  
  
sofa and propped the child up on the pillows. She looked up at me with wide blue eyes. They  
  
were blue as sapphire, wide as the ocean. They were filled with wonder and confusion. She  
  
didn't speak, but instead curled in my lap like a puppy, that was thankful for a warm lap, would.  
  
I instantly felt that the gods had answered my prayer for a child and had delivered her to me.   
  
Later that night  
  
Kino Residence  
  
6:30 P.M.  
  
"Nephryte, is that you?" I called as I heard someone open the door.  
  
"Hai, it's I," he replied, "where are you?"  
  
"I am in the living room. Come here, I have a surprise for you," I replied in a quieter  
  
voice.  
  
"You're not pregnant, are you?" he asked as he wearily walked into the living room,  
  
"Setsuna just found out that she is three weeks into her pregnancy. She and Toki are ecstatic."  
  
"No, it's even better. Be quiet though, I just got her to sleep."  
  
"Got who to sleep? Why are you sitting alone in the dark?"  
  
"I'm not alone. That is the surprise," I said. I turned the light onto the lowest setting. The  
  
lamp dimly lit the room, but it lit the living room just enough to where my husband could see the  
  
little girl sleeping on the sofa.   
  
He stood there, confused. "Surprise? Explain. I don't understand," he said. I explained  
  
what had happened that morning and even showed him the goose egg on my head and the gash  
  
on the child's. He wasn't confused anymore, but he couldn't understand why I would think of all  
  
this as a good thing or a wonderful surprise.  
  
"The gods have answered our prayers. They have sent us a child!" I exclaimed.   
  
Nephryte just sat at the kitchen table, puzzled. Then we heard something. "Mama? Where  
  
are you? Is papa home?" I recognized the sound as the child's. I hurried into the living room  
  
with Nephryte not far behind me. The child was sitting on the sofa, picking at her bandage. Her  
  
eyes became big and she smiled with her widest grin when she saw Nephryte and me standing in  
  
the doorway. "Mama!" she cried. "Papa, you came home while I was sleeping!" She jumped up,  
  
ran across the room, and gave both of us hugs. Nephryte was still confused, but I simply picked  
  
the girl up in my arms.  
  
"Her name is Kitsune, but we call her Kit for short," I declared.  
  
"Is that a fact?" he replied.  
  
"She told me herself. She seems to believe that we have had her since she was born."  
  
"You believe her? She could be a part of the enemy you know."  
  
"I won't think of that. Something about Kit tells me that she is good and our child. The  
  
god Zeus sent her himself!"   
  
That was the end of that conversation for that night. Something in my husband's tone of  
  
voice told me that he, too, believed what I believed.   
  
The Next Morning  
  
Hikawa Shrine  
  
Nephryte's POV   
  
"So, you both really feel strong about this? What if she is someone else's kid? What if  
  
she is part of the enemy?" questioned Usagi. She, as well as the others were skeptical about us  
  
keeping Kitsune. Makoto had started calling the child names like, "Lil' Kit," or, "Kitty," or even,  
  
"Mommy's little kitten." I simply called her Kitsune. Although I was almost completely  
  
convinced about the child, I still wasn't sure. She had only come to us the day before.   
  
Everyone was just now meeting Kitsune because our babysitting duties were lifted last  
  
night because everyone had a change of plans. Now that they were meeting Kitsune, they  
  
decided to question her to see if the god Zeus really did send her. Haruka started the questioning,  
  
"What is your last name?"  
  
"Kino." Kitsune replied. "That is a silly question. Why wouldn't I know my last name?"  
  
"Why is your last name Kino?" Minako continued.  
  
"My daddy didn't have one, so they used mommy's"  
  
"When is your birthday?" Ami asked, typing notes in her minicomputer.  
  
"November 23. I don't know what year."  
  
"Why do you have blue eyes when your "parents" don't?" Hotaru asked, absent  
  
mindedly.  
  
"Um, I don't know."  
  
"Hotaru, she won't know that. Can you name us off?" Michiru continued.  
  
Kit stared at everyone for a minute or two. Finally, she started naming people off. "Raye,  
  
"she said pointing to the senshi of Mars. She took a few minutes, naming everyone with their  
  
respective names. Finally, she got to Makoto, Usagi, and me. She pointed to Makoto and me and  
  
said, "Mommy and Daddy." She pointed to Usagi and said, with a smile, " Meatball head!"  
  
Everyone couldn't help but laugh. It had been a while since anyone had called Usagi by her nick  
  
name, which originated from her distinctive hairstyle. Kitsune looked around, confused at why  
  
everyone was laughing. "I thought Usagi didn't like her nickname. Why are you laughing at  
  
her?"  
  
When everyone calmed down, Setsuna, Usagi, and Raye, three of the ones who didn't ask  
  
questions, looked at each other with questioning stares. A fuss could be heard from the other  
  
room, recognizable as Chibi-Usa's. Mamoru got up and went to tend to her. When he came back,  
  
Raye got on her knees in front of Kitsune and stared her in the eye.   
  
Kitsune went pale. I noticed, out of the corner of my eye, that Makoto went pale, too.  
  
Raye reached her hands for Kitsune's forehead, but Kitsune backed away, whimpering, but not  
  
taking her eyes away from Raye. Raye retreated and said, "Why do you back away? Do you fear  
  
me?"  
  
Kitsune responded, "No, I'm not afraid. I just don't want to be hit." Everyone looked  
  
each other as I felt myself go pale. Everyone stared at Makoto and me, but no one spoke, not  
  
wanting to interrupt what Raye was doing.   
  
"Do you think I will hit you?"  
  
"No, but I don't like being touched by anyone but Mommy and Daddy."  
  
"Why? Who has hit you? Did your mom and dad hit you?"  
  
"No! Mommy and Daddy would never hit me!"  
  
"Who has? Has anyone hit you?"  
  
Kitsune looked down at the floor. She went sickly pale, but answered, "The Bad Man  
  
likes to hit me."  
  
Everyone went pale at that response. Raye recoiled a bit, but stayed at what she was  
  
doing. "Who is the Bad Man? Kit, look at me." Kitsune looked up and stared into Raye's violet  
  
eyes. "Who is the Bad Man?" Raye repeated.  
  
Kitsune looked up and said in an unsteady voice, "The man whom you think sent me to  
  
destroy the senshi, your enemy. I heard Mommy and Daddy talking about it last night, when  
  
Daddy got home, while they thought I was asleep. I don't work for him. I escaped from him to  
  
come home."   
  
Makoto's POV   
  
Everyone was dead silent when I stood up to Kit's sniffles. I rushed forward and picked  
  
Kit up in my arms. I gave everyone dirty looks, even my husband, and rushed out into the yard. I  
  
sat under a cherry blossom tree, cradling my daughter in my arms. I felt hot tears run down my  
  
cheeks. I couldn't believe them. They were supposed to be my friends. How could they put a  
  
child, my daughter at that, through what they did? I knew that Raye had put Kit through more  
  
than what you could see. I looked down at Kit. She had fallen fast asleep. I smiled and looked for  
  
Jupiter in the sky. I saw it, not far from the moon. Then, for some reason, my heart began  
  
pounding rapidly. Then I heard a terrifying screech come from behind me. I jumped up and ran  
  
toward the shrine just as everyone came running out. Suddenly, everything became a blur. When  
  
everything became clear again, all of the senshi were transformed and captured in tangles of  
  
vines. Even I was transformed and caught in the tangle. I then realized that Kit was no longer in  
  
my arms. I searched for Kit and found her . . . right I the hands of the monster. I wanted to cry  
  
out, but I felt frail. Then came a sight nobody expected. Kit swung her right leg up and nailed the  
  
monster in the chin. The monster dropped Kit. Kit landed of her rear-end and quickly stood up  
  
on her feet. She stepped back a bit with a scared look on her face. "Mommy! Daddy!" she cried.  
  
I wanted to rush over and hold her, but the current situation didn't allow it.  
  
"Mommy and Daddy are over here, Kitty! Now, run away, Kitty! Run away and hide!" I  
  
yelled. Kit looked my way, but did not run. That split-second that she used to look at me gave  
  
the monster enough time to recapture Kit. Before anyone knew what had happened, Kit was once  
  
again in the monster's arms. This time, however, Kit needn't kick her way out.   
  
A black light burned on her forehead, assuming the shape of the sign of Jupiter. Kit was  
  
instantly released from the monster's arms, then engulfed in a waltz of black and purple ribbons.  
  
Before we knew it, there stood a sailor senshi, the smallest we had ever seen. She had a black  
  
skirt, black gloves with purple glove bands, a purple body suit, purple knee boots with a black  
  
strip on the top, a purple, oval-shaped brooch, a purple collar with two black stripes, a purple  
  
choker with a black Jupiter sign, black hoop earrings with purple Jupiter signs hanging from  
  
them, black shoulder bands, and the black sign of Jupiter burning on her forehead. To add to the  
  
surprises, two blurry figures appeared by Kit's side. When they stopped, you could see a female,  
  
siamese cat with blue eyes on one side, and on the other side was a male, black, long-haired cat  
  
with green eyes. This was the start of an interesting journey. 


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two  
  
The Child's Story  
  
Nephryte's POV   
  
All stared in shock at Kitsune and the two cats that stood beside her. Makoto fought with  
  
the vine, trying to escape. She was determined to get to Kitsune. Makoto was also pale.  
  
Something must have been weakening her. At the time, I didn't know what it was. Then, Kitsune  
  
flew through the air. She landed underneath the cherry blossom tree. She jumped up. Her eyes  
  
welled up with tears. Her face was all scratched up. Just then, the monster threw a heap of vines  
  
toward Kitsune. As the vines were less than three feet away from Kitsune, The siamese cat and  
  
the black long-haired cat jumped in front of Kitsune and created a huge fireball, which fried the  
  
vines to a crisp. I looked over at Rei. She was in her last stage of pregnancy, meaning she  
  
couldn't use her scout powers of fire. I looked over at Jedite. He was unconscious. Both those  
  
who could use fire powers were unable to. I looked back at the battle.  
  
Out of the corner of my eyes, Makoto squirmed uneasily. The two cats defended Kitsune  
  
the best that they could, but with each attacked, they were pushed back inches at a time. I could  
  
tell that they couldn't hold the monster for much longer. All the while, Kitsune stayed backed  
  
against the tree, tears in her eyes, but never running down her face. Then, a bright light tinted  
  
green grew next to me. I looked over at the source of the light. There, I watched Sailor Jupiter  
  
revert back to Makoto. Pale and limp, Makoto slumped over. Then, something sharp stuck me in  
  
the center of my back. Another stuck my in my left arm, wrapped with the rest of my body in the  
  
vine. Then, a large, green thorn emerged from the vine where my right arm had been lying on the  
  
vine. Then, I began to feel steadily weaker, as if all of the energy in me was being sucked out.  
  
Suddenly, a thought raced through my head. Makoto was pale, then reverted to herself and went  
  
unconscious. This vine is slowly sucking the energy out of all of us! That is why Jedite is  
  
unconscious!   
  
I looked around. Minako, Haruka, Michiru, and Ami were looking steadily paler. Then,  
  
bright yellow, orange, aqua, and blue lights surrounded them as they all slumped over, no longer  
  
sailor scouts. I squirmed until an odd feeling came over me. I could no longer feel the tightness  
  
of the vines. My powers over plants had worked. I grabbed the thorns and ripped them off. The  
  
monster was too preoccupied with trying to blast the two cats to notice. I lightly touched the  
  
vines and watched as they slowly unraveled, releasing the others. Although the vine was  
  
loosened, Makoto, Minako, Haruka, Michiru, Ami, and Jedite did not move; their bodies did not  
  
shift in the loosening of the vines. I took a quick glance at the battle. The cats were still holding  
  
off the monster, but now the Siamese cat had jumped onto the neck of the monster and was  
  
biting and clawing at it furiously. I looked back at the others. Kunzite, Toki, Mamoru, and Rei  
  
were conscious and aware that I had loosened the vines. Setsuna, Hotaru, Shikyo, Taikai, and  
  
Hishou were also loose and aware. Taikai, Rei, Kunzite, and Hishou looked at their loved ones  
  
with obvious faces of worry. Then, our attention was shifted to the battle with one, loud slam.  
  
Rei's POV   
  
Kitsune went flying into a nearby cherry, cracking the trunk, with the two cats landing on  
  
her stomach with a soft thump. Kitsune picked up the cats and cradled them, tears still in her  
  
eyes, yet not running down her scratched cheeks. The monster stood five feet away, staring at  
  
Kitsune with a huge grin of satisfaction. "Why don't you just stop resisting? Your little cats  
  
couldn't hold me off forever, and the so-called legendary Sailor Scouts are caught in my web,  
  
losing their powers, one by one," the monster said. Kitsune looked over at us, most likely not  
  
seeing that we were loose. Her eyes traveled over to the unconscious Makoto. At the sight of  
  
Makoto, Kitsune let out a wail that only a child or Usagi could do. Actually, something hit me.  
  
Where is Usagi?! I looked around quickly, but saw nothing of Usagi. Zoisite was gone, too. I  
  
looked back to the battle. Then, Kitsune jumped to her feet and ran to the monster with  
  
unbelievable speed and knocked the monster in the stomach, sending the creature feet back.  
  
The monster jumped to its own feet and let out a deafening screech, awakening the  
  
children who were stowed in the temple for safety. Just as the monster was about to charge  
  
forward toward Kitsune, everything got suddenly bright; the moon had gotten suddenly bright,  
  
meaning only one thing: Usagi had arrived.  
  
Luna and Artemis could be seen jumping down onto the monster, clawing and biting at  
  
its neck like the other cats had done. Suddenly, the vines got unbearably tight, which wasn't  
  
good for me. Usagi jumped from out of nowhere and held out her wand, crying out, "Moon  
  
Scepter Elimination!" With one sweep of a ribbon of moons, the monster was gone, and Luna  
  
and Artemis landed safely of Usagi's shoulders.   
  
The vines disappeared at once. Makoto, Minako, Haruka, Michiru, Jedite, and Ami fell  
  
limply to the ground. I regained my own footing and dashed over to my unconscious husband.  
  
Zoisite jumped neatly off of the temple roof to tend to Ami. Taikai went to tend to Michiru and  
  
Hishou went to Haruka. Kunzite gently cradled Minako nearby. I could faintly hear him praying  
  
that Minako and the baby were all right. I wondered if Ami, Minako, and Haruka and their  
  
babies were all right. Jedite had a pulse. He was okay, as far as I could tell.   
  
Nephryte picked Makoto up and took her inside. Zoisite, Taikai, Hishou, and Kunzite  
  
followed suit. Mamoru came and took Jedite inside. I was about to follow when I noticed  
  
Setsuna, Hotaru, Toki, Shikyo, and Usagi over with Kitsune. She was no longer in sailor form,  
  
but was shaking from head to toe. Setsuna picked her up and headed toward the temple. Hotaru  
  
held the siamese cat while Shikyo had the black longhair. Usagi, no longer in sailor uniform,  
  
walked by with Luna and Artemis on her shoulders. She turned to me as she was walking by and  
  
asked, "Are you okay, Rei-chan?"  
  
"Hai, I believe so," I replied as I joined her. "The baby is kicking, so I take that as a good  
  
sign." I could feel a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to see Toki hold something out to me. It  
  
reminded me of our old transformation wands, the ones with the five-star pendent on top.  
  
However, instead of a five-star, it had an eight-point-star on top. The wand's colors were purple  
  
and black, just like Kitsune's day clothes and sailor uniform.  
  
"I believe you may want to have a look at this," he said. "It was found at the girl's feet." I  
  
took the wand and nodded as we entered the temple room. Everyone was awake now, and  
  
Kitsune was in Makoto's arms. Makoto leaned on Nephryte. Everyone appeared okay, but one  
  
thing caught my eye. Those who were unconscious, Jedite, Minako, Makoto, Haruka, Ami, and  
  
Michiru, had their wands and Jedite's amulet lying on the table, blank as white paper. The signs  
  
of their planets on the wands were gone. This could only mean one thing: the vine had taken  
  
their powers.   
  
I sat by Jedite on some floor cushions, staring at his amulet. "Your powers were taken?" I  
  
asked in disbelief. He looked at me and nodded sadly.   
  
"Those vines had thorns that drain the powers them," Nephryte said. "They started to  
  
drain me, but I loosened my part of the vine and tore off the thorns. Then I loosened the vines for  
  
everyone else."  
  
"Daddy is really powerful!" Kitsune exclaimed. "Was I powerful when I hit Isomia in the  
  
stomach?" she asked.   
  
Everyone stared at Kitsune, including Makoto. I asked, "How do you know the name of  
  
that monster, Kitsune?"  
  
She shuddered and cuddled further into Makoto's arms. Makoto looked down at Kitsune  
  
and said, "Kit, Rei-chan asked you a question. You should answer it because she asked politely.  
  
Mommy and Daddy would like to know, too."  
  
Kitsune looked up at Makoto, then at me, and said, "Isomia worked for The Bad Man."  
  
Just like before, everyone went silent. Makoto went even paler, if it was possible. I  
  
looked down at her wand and held it up. "Kitsune, do you recognize this?" I asked Kitsune.  
  
Kitsune nodded. She said, "The Bad Man had it. He changed its colors."  
  
"What colors were they before he changed them, Kitsune?" I asked.  
  
Kitsune looked at me with a straining face, as if she was trying to remember something  
  
very old. "The colors," she began, "use to be green and pink."  
  
I could tell that everyone found this odd yet understandable. If she was really meant to be  
  
Makoto's child, then Kitsune's scout colors would be the same as Makoto's, meaning green and  
  
pink. "Kitsune," I addressed her, "What else use to be green and pink?"  
  
Again, she took to a straining face, then said, "My clothes use to be green and pink, and  
  
that outfit I was wearing when I fought Isomia, too."  
  
Everything began to make sense. Kitsune was, and possibly is, meant to be Makoto and  
  
Nephryte's daughter. However, she was kidnapped by the enemy and was changed. Then,  
  
Kitsune somehow escaped and found Makoto. Then, the enemy sent Isomia to fetch Kitsune and  
  
return her to the enemy. I could tell that everyone could see this explanation clearly without me  
  
saying it. Makoto tightened her hold on Kitsune, who was now clearly her daughter.   
  
However, Haruka still had doubts. "Rei, do what you were gonna do earlier. Something  
  
still doesn't add up," she told me. I was nervous about doing so. I looked over at Makoto and  
  
Nephryte. Nephryte nodded his head and looked down at Makoto, who looked back at him. She  
  
turned her head toward me and nodded. Once again, I knelt in front of Kitsune to try and reveal  
  
the sign of Jupiter, the only true evidence that this child was indeed a creature of Jupiter.  
  
Kitsune, still in Makoto's arms, didn't squirm or back away as she did last time. I cupped my  
  
hands over Kitsune's forehead. Carefully, I sent the minimum amount of energy from me to  
  
show the sign. Kitsune's bangs ruffled a bit as I took my hands away. The sign was there.  
  
However, it was not the traditional green. Instead, it was black.   
  
Haruka stood up. "This isn't right!" she yelled. "If she really was a descendant of Jupiter,  
  
then the sign would be green!"  
  
"The sign is there, nonetheless, Haruka," Setsuna said calmly. "Remember, her wand,  
  
uniform, and day clothes use to have the colors of Jupiter until she was taken by the enemy."  
  
"How do we know? Who says she isn't lying? Answer that!" Haruka said.  
  
However, it wasn't any of us who answered. "It is the truth, Uranus. You have no proof.  
  
There is no physical evidence. There is only the words of our mouths." Everyone looked to the  
  
siamese cat lying on Hotaru's lap.  
  
Makoto's POV   
  
The siamese cat wearily sat up on Hotaru's lap and surveyed us with her wide blue eyes.  
  
Then, a small gasp could be heard from Shikyo as the black longhair joined the siamese. The two  
  
turned so that they faced the whole room fairly well, then spoke. "We have, as you could say,  
  
witness accounts of the whole ordeal, for we, too, were prisoners of Donwor. Or, as Kit calls  
  
him, The Bad Man," the siamese spoke. "I am Tina, guardian of the princess of Jupiter."  
  
"And I," spoke the longhair, "am James, also guardian of the princess of Jupiter."  
  
For a moment, everyone stared. Kitsune said nothing, but then said, "You are my  
  
mommy's guardians?"  
  
Tina chuckled. James smiled and said, "No, princess. We are your guardians."  
  
Kitsune looked wide-eyed at the two cats. "I'm a real princess? I thought it was only  
  
something mommy called me," she said excitedly. Then, she looked worried. "Why do I have  
  
guardians?"  
  
Tina spoke up; "You have been hunted ever since the formation of the Kingdom of  
  
Jupiter. You have unique abilities and powers. Your birth was prophesized when the Jupiter  
  
Kingdom was formed. Ever since then, the ruler of Dark Sagittarius has hunted you, through  
  
time and space."  
  
"What do you mean, through space and time?" asked Taikai. He and Michiru wore  
  
expressions on their faces as if they knew what it meant, but didn't want to believe it. The outer  
  
scouts and knights nodded their heads in question. Everyone else nodded his or her heads, too.  
  
Nephryte and I stared at Tina and James with faces that sought the answer to this small puzzle.  
  
James sighed, looked at everyone, and replied; "Donwor has traveled all over the  
  
universe in search of Kitsune. However, in finding that to be futile, he broke a hole in time and  
  
has traveled through the time continuum in search of her. Although we sought to protect her, he  
  
eventually found her."  
  
"Where were you hiding when he found you three?" Nephryte asked.  
  
"We weren't exactly hiding anywhere. We were traveling through the time continuum,"  
  
Tina replied.  
  
"Where were you heading?" Mamoru asked.  
  
With that, Tina and James looked down at their paws, refusing to speak. "Well?"  
  
Nephryte urged.   
  
"We are forbidden to reveal that by orders of the Lady Charon," James promptly replied.  
  
"Then," Setsuna said, "I will tell instead, for I am descendent of Charon and of Pluto and  
  
now know of this child's tale. Though I was doubtful at first, I now realize that this is indeed that  
  
child that I was told of. When I first saw her, though, I did not believe that this was the same  
  
child, for her appearance and abilities have been severely altered."  
  
All starred in shock at Setsuna, though no one more than Tina and James. I looked at the  
  
green-haired warrior of time and urged her on, saying, "Well? What is that tale?"  
  
Setsuna cleared her throat quietly polite and began; "This child is neither of the future,  
  
nor of the past, and not even of the present. She has indeed been delivered by way of the god  
  
Zeus and of the centaur Sagittarius, for this child is direct descendent of both. She has the  
  
powers over trees and lightning, care of Zeus, and powers of fire, care of Sagittarius. This child's  
  
birth was indeed prophesized at the formation of the Kingdom of Jupiter. She has not only the  
  
abilities of Zeus and Sagittarius, but she also has abilities that were forged when the two ranges  
  
of power were bonded. These powers are the powers Donwor pursues. All his thought is bent on  
  
acquiring the powers that were born to this child."  
  
Everyone nodded along in shallow understanding of the story Setsuna had just told them.  
  
Then, Shikyo spoke, "Why, though, is this child born of Jupiter, and why was she given to  
  
Makoto and Nephryte. Surely a child of just power has more right in the Moon Kingdom, would  
  
it not?"  
  
Everyone again looked to Setsuna. Again, she cleared her throat and spoke, "It is a rare  
  
oddity when a descendent of a planet shares the blood of the zodiac to which that planet has  
  
rightful rule. In this case, a direct descendent of Jupiter also was a direct descendent of  
  
Sagittarius. Jupiter rules Sagittarius, hence her unique abilities. Thus, being a descendent of  
  
Jupiter and Sagittarius, the child was born unto the current heirs of Jupiter, for the heir of  
  
Sagittarius has turned to the darker half of life."  
  
Setsuna took in a deep breath as she finished the tale. I held onto Kit as tight as I could  
  
without squeezing her to death. I didn't realize how important the situation was! I was now very  
  
worried. "Is there any way to get our powers back?" I asked.   
  
Tina and James looked at me, and then to the black wands and amulet on the table. James  
  
shook his head sadly, saying, "I am afraid not. There is a way, yes, but there is no way to get  
  
them back until the enemy is destroyed. When your powers were taken, they were sent to  
  
Donwor."  
  
"So, the powers of Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Uranus, Neptune, and Venus now can be used  
  
by the enemy?" asked Nephryte with concern. James nodded.   
  
"Actually," Tina began, "The enemy can't really do much with the powers unless he gains  
  
the powers of the other living bearers of that planet. Therefore, in order for him to use the  
  
powers of Neptune, the powers of the General of Neptune and the daughter must be part of him  
  
as well."  
  
This didn't make me feel better at all. "What about protection?" I asked.  
  
"What do you mean?" Tina questioned.  
  
"Well," I began slowly, "I have a few concerns. First, since the enemy knows the powers  
  
and abilities of a few of our scouts, will they be able to predict the moves of the others with  
  
those powers? Also, how will we protect the children? I'm not just talking about Kit, but also of  
  
the other children. Then, what do we do about the pregnant senshi? How will we be able to  
  
protect them and keep them out of trouble?"  
  
I knew that some of these questions may be obvious, but I needed to hear them for  
  
myself. "Well," the cats began, "We have come prepared for the worst." 


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three  
  
Welcome, Naien and Kaen/Good Bye for Now¼  
  
That Night  
  
Tomoe Residence  
  
­Hotaru's POV­  
  
It read 8:30 on my watch. Shikyo and I walked down the street on our way home. I held  
  
Pandora securely as my husband walked to my left, holding Prometheus. This day was one I'd  
  
never forget. First there was the meeting, and then there was another event. The two cats had  
  
plans for every possible situation. One of the plans concerned the pregnant ones and the ones  
  
who had lost their powers. When we got home, Shikyo went to bed as I put the sleeping twins in  
  
their cribs. I sat down on the couch and reflected on what had happened during the meeting. The  
  
cats did a lot of talking and there were a lot of arguments. I began to drift to sleep when I could  
  
hear the cats.   
  
"We have come prepared for the worst..."  
  
"We have anticipated the actions that enemy would make. Therefore, we have made  
  
plans that we will be taken immediately and plans that will be put into action in the event that a  
  
certain event should occur," the cats said. I worried at what the immediate plans would be.  
  
"What are the immediate plans?" asked Setsuna. I was glad that she asked instead of me.  
  
I didn't know how to word my question.  
  
"Our first concern is safety," the Siamese began. "Those who cannot fight will be sent to  
  
a safe place. This includes those who are pregnant, have lost their powers, or are children. All of  
  
the children will be sent, with the exception of Kitsune. She cannot go there."  
  
Makoto suddenly stood up and shouted, "Why can't Kit go to where it is safe?"  
  
James looked up at Makoto and said, "Kit's powers are too great for this place. This place  
  
will only shield those with no power or with extremely little power."  
  
Makoto sat down and looked like she was about to cry. "Then I shall stay here, despite  
  
my lack of power," she said simply. All sorts of dispute came at this. James argued that Makoto  
  
had to go or else she would get in the way. Tina argued that Kit could defend herself if worse  
  
came to worse. Makoto argued that she would stay with Kit no matter what. The rest of the  
  
scouts argued that Makoto had to go to the safe place with the others. The arguing continued  
  
until someone realized that someone else was crying. Everyone looked about until they saw  
  
Nephryte rocking gently as he headed for the door. Kit was crying in his arms. Nephryte turned  
  
toward everyone when things silenced. He wore the face that Makoto had worn earlier when Rei  
  
had first attempted to reveal Kit's sign.   
  
He stared until he found the words to speak. "While all of you argue amongst yourselves,  
  
nothing gets done," he began slowly. "Kit won't go to this safe place. She will stay here with me.  
  
Makoto, you need to go with the others and help those who are pregnant and help to take care of  
  
the children. Only you and Jedite will be able to do much over there. Don't worry about Kit's  
  
protection. She can fight very well, as Tina said, should worst come to worst. Other than that,  
  
she has her father."  
  
Everyone, including myself, stared at Nephryte. I was glad the Nephryte accepted Kit. I  
  
looked around at everyone and spoke up. "Pandora and Prometheus will go to the safe place,  
  
right?" I asked. Tina nodded her head. "Well, when do they go? When will the children and  
  
others go to this safe place?"  
  
"We will need 24 hours to complete the transport arrangements. Therefore, they will  
  
leave in 24 hours. They will meet here and then be sent to the place of safety," the cats said in  
  
unison. I nodded my head as I took all of this in.  
  
"Oh no!!" someone cried. Everyone turned to Rei and Jedite. Rei was panting heavily.  
  
Jedite started to stand her up. "The baby's here!!" he cried. With those few words, pandemonium  
  
broke out.   
  
Jedite couldn't get Rei to stand up. Ami had her computer out in no time flat. She pressed  
  
the buttons rapidly, and then screamed, "Don't stand her up! Lay her down! The baby is breached  
  
in a bad position!" The pandemonium got even worse, if it was possible. Ami and I got Rei to lie  
  
down. Together, we got everyone out of the room, with the exception of us two and Jedite. Ami  
  
was a regular doctor, though prone to the ER more often than not. I was a nurse with no plan of  
  
becoming a doctor. Jedite went over to Rei's side and got her to calm down as much as possible.  
  
Ami handed her computer over to me and told me to continually monitor Rei. Ami then left the  
  
room to get to the nearest phone. I continued to monitor Rei as Jedite kept her calm. I could hear  
  
Ami on the phone. I heard her say that the baby was breached.  
  
As I was monitoring Rei, I heard the door open. I looked over, expecting to see Ami. It  
  
wasn't Ami, though. I could hear her still talking on the phone. It was Kit instead. Behind her  
  
was Nephryte, holding her hand. Tina and James were on Kits' shoulders. "Kit said that she  
  
could help. I think that she can," Nephryte said. The cats jumped up onto Nephryte's shoulders.  
  
Kit walked over to Rei's side, the same side Jedite was on. Kit placed her left hand on  
  
Rei's forehead and her right hand on her stomach. The black sign on Jupiter began to burn on  
  
Kit's forehead as her bangs ruffled. Rei's bangs ruffled as well. A red light could be seen  
  
underneath Kit's left hand. I assumed that it was the sign of Mars.   
  
I could feel a low, steady pulse of energy emitting from Kit. I continued to monitor Rei. I  
  
could hear Ami come in. In a hushed voice, Nephryte told her what was going on. I could feel  
  
my heart jump almost completely out of my chest. The monitor showed that the baby was  
  
turning! I could feel the color drain out of my face. Then, three large amounts of energy began to  
  
emerge from Rei. One was undoubtedly Rei's and another had to be the baby's. I was confused at  
  
where the third source of energy was coming from. What was even more confusing was that the  
  
two energies had different frequencies than Rei's.   
  
Suddenly, Rei began to scream out of pain. Kit backed up and looked at Ami and myself.  
  
"Naien and Kaen are coming out," she said. Ami and I didn't give this a second thought. Ami  
  
beckoned Jedite to get gloves that she and I could use. He was back in a flash.   
  
Just as the sirens could be heard, Rei and Jedite were parents to, not one, but two  
  
children. Their foreheads blazed with the signs of Mars, but the signs were not red. The signs  
  
disappeared before anyone else but I saw. The paramedics took Rei, Jedite, and the two babies  
  
away. Ami also went with them. I remained behind with everyone else.   
  
Everyone wanted to know how the babies turned. I smiled as I washed my hands in the  
  
kitchen sink. We all sat down in Rei's living room. I told about Rei's situation, about the babies  
  
being breached and all. When everyone heard the word "babies," they freaked. No one knew that  
  
Rei had been carrying two babies! No one could tell that she was bearing two babies. I told  
  
everyone about what Kit had done and what she had said. I also told them about the brief  
  
glimpse that I had gotten of their signs. This was found to be suspicious to everyone, until a little  
  
voice piped up.  
  
"Naien and Kaen are special, just like me!" piped the voice.   
  
Everyone turned toward Kit. "What did you say, Kit?" Usagi asked.   
  
Kit looked over to Usagi, who sat of some floor cushions while holding Chibi-Usa. Kit  
  
smiled a little and held up a book, saying, "Today starts Aries, ruled by Mars. They are just like  
  
me!"   
  
Everyone looked at the page of the book that was open. It read:   
  
"March 21 - April 20  
  
Aries  
  
Ruled by Mars"  
  
"Today's March 21!" I cried. It was true. Like Kit, the twins were born under the Zodiac  
  
that they ruled.   
  
Tina and James sighed next to me. I turned to them with a concern. "You know how Kit  
  
can't go to this safe place because she is too powerful? Well, can the twins go, or will they be too  
  
powerful, too?"  
  
Worried faces all turned toward the two cats. They looked at everyone sadly and said,  
  
"The twins cannot go, unfortunately. They will have to remain here." Everyone looked as if they  
  
were about to argue, so the cats quickly added, "However, even though they cannot go, the  
  
senshi of Mars can stay and take care of them. Plus, Donwor does not seek them. He only seeks  
  
Kit. Therefore, the babies are in no extreme danger. Rei will just have to live with them normally  
  
here. However, this does not mean that Jedite can stay. He must still go, even though the babies  
  
are here. He will not be able to protect them."  
  
No one argued this. I knew that this was all true, so I assumed everyone else did as well. I  
  
looked back at the cats and asked, "The signs that the babies had were not red, as they should  
  
have been. Why is that?"  
  
Everyone looked eagerly at Tina and James. They shook their heads, saying, "We do not  
  
know for sure. Our only guess is that because all of Kit's powers were tampered with by  
  
Donwor, she somehow changed the babies when she turned them around. It is highly possible. It  
  
doesn't mean, however, that the babies are in danger of anything. It could mean nothing. After  
  
all, the moon sign that Chibi-usa has is pink instead of yellow. It could mean nothing at all."  
  
Everyone let out sighs of relief just as the phone rang. Zoisite was closest, so he  
  
answered. He got off of the phone a minute later with a smile. "Rei and the babies are just fine.  
  
They want us to come up right now because they are lonely!" he laughed. Everyone else  
  
laughed, too. We began to head out of the door when all four cats suggested that we not say  
  
anything to Rei and Jedite about the situation. We all agreed.  
  
10 minutes later, all of us were at the hospital in Rei's room. Jedite was sitting in the  
  
chair next to her. Both were holding one baby each. The new parents raved on and on about the  
  
babies. Finally, Nephryte asked about the names. "Well, we haven't thought of any names," Rei  
  
said, smiling.   
  
Jedite nodded, adding, "First off, we weren't expecting two babies. Second, we've been  
  
too busy trying to bottle feed the babies, but neither will feed. Third, we wanted Kit to name  
  
then, since she helped Rei."   
  
All eyes turned to Kit. She smiled and asked, "Which one is the girl?" Rei nodded her  
  
head down at the baby she held. Kit went over to the little girl. She placed her index finger  
  
lightly on the baby's forehead. The baby squirmed slightly. A light pulse of energy could be felt  
  
all around the room. I looked down at Ami's computer and began to watch the baby. Its energy  
  
level began to rise. "I name you Naien, daughter of Mars, and possessor of Aries," Kit said. The  
  
sign of Mars appeared on the baby's forehead in the color I had seen earlier. It was peach instead  
  
of red. Kit walked over to the baby boy that Jedite held. Kit placed her index finger on the baby's  
  
fore head. The baby's energy level rose like the other's had. "I name you Kaen, son of Mars, and  
  
possessor of Aries," Kit said. Kit lifted her finger, revealing the sign of Mars, again in peach. Kit  
  
walked back to Nephryte and Makoto. Rei and Jedite wondered at the peach signs as they  
  
dimmed.  
  
The babies began to cry as if hungry. Rei got the bottles. She handed one to Jedite. The  
  
babies took the bottles willingly. Rei and Jedite, still looking bewildered, looked over to us.  
  
Tina, James, Luna, and Artemis told them of the conversation that we had back at the temple.  
  
Rei and Jedite sighed. Jedite said, "I will go only because I have been asked to." We continued  
  
the meeting in quieter voices. Battle plans were told to us. They seemed simple enough. We left  
  
the hospital, the clock above Rei's bed reading 8:02 pm. Only 16 more hours until Jedite had to  
  
leave his wife and newborns.  
  
I awoke with a start. Pandora was crying in the other room. I rushed quietly into the other  
  
room, but I was too late. Prometheus was already awake. I smiled. I looked over to their little  
  
clock. 10:37 is what it read. I had only 13 hours and thirty minutes until they would leave. I  
  
guess I should spend as much time with them as possible before they leave, I thought. I got both  
  
of them out of their cribs and took them to the living room to watch a movie. Shikyo was already  
  
there, with popcorn and the movie, waiting. I smiled at him as I sat next to him. He took  
  
Prometheus in his lap as the movie started. I smiled again. I would miss my babies badly. "Take  
  
it all in," I said in my head, "Take it all in."  
  
­Makoto's POV­  
  
I awoke suddenly to jumping and laughing. The bed Nephryte and I shared moved about  
  
roughly. I shot open my eyes to see a small figure jumping up and down on the bed. I saw a pair  
  
of hands reach out and wrestle the small creature down. I rubbed my eyes and looked over to my  
  
left, where Nephryte wrestled with Kit in the bedcovers. I laughed as Nephryte continued  
  
wrestling with the empty bedcover, looking for Kit. He didn't realize that Kit had slipped over to  
  
my side. She hid behind me, holding one of my throw pillows. Nephryte stopped looking for Kit.  
  
I smiled. He looked up at me just as the throw pillow flew over my head, followed by my throw  
  
blanket. The blanket, however, landed on me, covering my head. Kit's voice rose from behind  
  
me as she shouted, "War!"   
  
I tore the blanket off of my head just as Kit screamed and Nephryte lunged at her, who  
  
crawled behind me. All three of us tumbled off of the bed, laughing. Nephryte got up, Kit on his  
  
shoulders. Kit laughed hard, saying, "Daddy, you missed me and hit mommy instead!"  
  
I laughed with her. "He still got you, though, even if he took me with you!" I said.   
  
Together, we made a breakfast of rice and bacon. We ate as a happy family. My eyes  
  
strayed to the clock on the counter. 11:30 am it read. I sighed. That clock was a cruel reminder  
  
that I would be leaving my family soon. I looked back to the table. Nephryte looked back to the  
  
table as well. He had looked at the time, too. His eyes showed sadness. Together, they looked at  
  
Kit, who munched happily on bacon.  
  
Hikawa Shrine  
  
I looked back at my watch for what seemed like the 1,000th time. Nephryte, Kit and I  
  
arrived at the Hikawa Shrine at 11:52 am. Everyone else was already there. No one was smiling.  
  
I looked for Rei and the babies, but Jedite was alone. As, we joined the group, I asked, "Where  
  
are Rei, Naien, and Kaen?"  
  
Jedite looked at me and said, "Rei is staying in the hospital for another day. Naien  
  
appeared to be having breathing problems. She was better when I left, though."  
  
"Six more minutes until the portal opens," said a voice from a cherry tree. Tina and  
  
James jumped down from the cherry tree together. "There is a circle drawn on the bricks," Tina  
  
continued, "Everyone who is going, please enter the circle."  
  
Minako and Kunzite held each other in one last hug. I turned around and gave Nephryte  
  
and Kit a hug. I didn't want to leave. Over Nephryte's shoulder I could see Minako and Kunzite  
  
let go of each other. As Minako walked to the portal, I could see Michiru, Haruka, Ami, and  
  
Jedite already in the circle. I let go of Nephryte and Kitsune. Nephryte shed a single tear, but Kit  
  
shed none. However, her eyes showed all of the sadness in the world. I walked over to the circle,  
  
passing Usagi and Mamoru.  
  
"Makoto-Chan," Usagi said. I turned to look at them. "Will you take Chibi-Usa and  
  
Chibi-Mamo?" I smiled and nodded. Both children were placed in my arms; both were sound  
  
asleep. I joined the others in the circle. Jedite took little Pandora and Prometheus in his arms.  
  
Michiru held Ike's hand tightly as the little girl kept saying good-bye to her father.   
  
"12:00!" James said as he looked at Mamoru's pocket watch. I light surrounded us on the  
  
line of the circle. We began to lift up.   
  
I looked out to Nephryte and Kit. Things began to fade. As things went white, I cried out,  
  
"Good bye for now!" 


End file.
